WEGO survives contract saga

Chester County’s only regional police department spent the majority of 2012 fighting to secure its future as it struggled through a tumultuous labor dispute that ultimately ended with a new six-year police contract.

The Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department, which also provides full police services for Thornbury, reached a deal with the Westtown-East Goshen Police Commission on Oct. 8 that secured the department’s future through the end of 2018. Thornbury, which had been poised to sign a police services contract with the Borough of West Chester, also signed a deal to remain a client of the department.

The dispute was fueled largely by township officials’ claim that the department’s pension, disability, and health care costs were unsustainable. Members of the Westtown-East Goshen Police Association, the officers’ bargaining union, argued throughout the process that they had offered concessions that would alleviate most of the townships’ financial concerns.

The dispute peaked in early October when the supervisor boards of both East Goshen and Westtown announced their intention to disband the department. That announcement was met with overwhelming opposition from at least 150 police supporters and residents who crowded the East Goshen municipal meeting on Oct. 2.

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That meeting also featured an appearance by Les Neri, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police and former detective with the Tredyffrin Police Department, who urged township officials to reconsider their decision to disband the department.

WEGO’s contract saga centered largely around concerns over the department’s pension liabilities, an issue affecting municipalities, police departments, and other public agencies across the country. Neri said it was an issue that the FOP commonly deals with, and urged the supervisors to continue negotiations in an effort to save one of the region’s most respected police departments.

“I deal with this on a statewide basis, I know you’re looking at this from your own perspective, but I cant believe how close you are and how far they’ve come, to come to a point tonight, or down the road in a month or two or three, that we’re going to dissolve one of the best regionals in the entire commonwealth,” he said, adding that WEGO has become one of the state’s shining examples used to showcase the benefits of regional policing. “We’ve pointed to WEGO throughout Pennsylvania as the prime example of what a regional police department should be.”

In the days immediately following the Oct. 8 agreement, multiple sources said Neri’s intervention was the key to reaching a deal. Since the contract was signed, the department has promoted two former sergeants, William Cahill and James Dicave, to the rank of lieutenant. Officials said the move was designed to bring more stability to the department’s command structure as it moves forward.

The Westtown-East Goshen Police Commission will next name a permanent chief to assume command of the department. East Whiteland Police Chief Gene Dooley is currently serving as the department’s interim chief.